Fiscal Paralysis Must End

At this late date in the federal budget year, it's not too much to expect fiscal and political sanity from lawmakers.

Since the fiscal year began in October, Congress has enacted nine temporary spending measures. The latest spending authorization expires on Friday.

Congress has also tried three times to increase the federal government's borrowing limit. Unless lawmakers and the president agree on an increase in the next several days, the United States will likely default on its obligations. No Americans will escape the repercussions from their government's not paying its debts.

Until now, lawmakers and Clinton administration strategists got by with temporary spending measures to keep the government running, and with the Treasury Department's borrowing from government pension funds to pay lenders. These stopgap measures have run their course. Both Republicans and Democrats agree that there are no more tricks to sustain the government's ability to borrow. And Americans are fed up with spasmodic shutdowns of government.

The shutdowns may have amused or even pleased government bashers. But when the impact of fiscal paralysis reached Main Street, the lawmakers began getting bad vibes from the folks back home.

Congressional leaders should have sobered up by now. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem so.

Last week, the House approved a debt limit increase, but only until March 29. By then, GOP leaders say, they will be ready to unveil a longer- lasting increase, which will include their favorite amendments. They intend to take a similar route in producing a federal budget for the balance of the fiscal year. Both measures will still have extraneous amendments on abortion restrictions and substantial cutbacks in Medicare, Medicaid and welfare, among others.

Republicans know that Mr. Clinton will veto the bills, as he has done before.

How many more rounds will it take before the political games end? The fiscal year is almost half over, and Congress and the White House still haven't agreed on a budget. America's reputation as a nation that manages its financial affairs better than a Third-World country is in jeopardy.

Republicans already have won major victories in getting Mr. Clinton to agree on substantial spending cuts and on a seven-year timetable to balance the budget. They risk losing many of their political gains by continuing to send the president fiscal measures with extraneous amendments.